Rethinking Prevention: Are We Making a Costly Mistake?

Richard Keyse, founder and CEO of 2iC-Care, discusses how proactive and preventive intervention in adult social care leads to better outcomes for people and delivers long-term cost savings for councils.  

As I reflect on the latest ADASS Spring Survey, one statistic stands out starkly and that is the concerning decrease in prevention investment recently. This trend, at a time when our sector faces unprecedented challenges, prompts a crucial question: are we inadvertently setting ourselves up for a crisis? 

Proactive and preventive intervention in adult social care is not just a nice-to-have; it’s a critical strategy for managing the need for care services set to skyrocket. Yet, we are cutting back on the very investments that could help us manage this surge. 

It’s clear that prevention works and leads to better outcomes for people and long-term cost savings. Let’s take the case of Worcestershire County Council’s ‘Three Conversation’ approach which reduced waiting lists and saved avoided costs over £1 million by focusing on prevention and early intervention. The ‘Living Well’ programme in Cornwall also decreased hospital admissions by 49% through preventative community-based support. 

These are not isolated examples. Time and again, we see that when we invest in prevention, we not only improve lives but also create more sustainable care systems. So why are we not doing more of it? 

Part of the answer lies in the immense pressure on current budgets. When faced with immediate care needs, it’s tempting to divert resources from prevention to crisis management, but this is a false economy. Every pound we do not spend on prevention today is likely to cost us several in crisis intervention tomorrow. 

Another factor is the challenge of measuring the impact of prevention. It’s easier to quantify the cost of providing a service than to measure the savings from a crisis averted but this shouldn’t deter us. We need to get better at capturing and communicating the long-term value of preventative approaches. 

The power of preventative technology in action 

A recent case study from Wirral Council illustrates the power of preventative technology in action. Wirral Council implemented an innovative care technology solution in collaboration with Medequip and 2iC-Care. This interoperable system proved its worth when it detected early signs of a kidney infection in a person within days. 

By monitoring the user’s bathroom visits, our innovative care technology solution noticed an increase from a baseline of eight visits per day to 14 which triggered a ‘high bathroom occupancy’ alert.  

This data-driven insight led to further medical investigation and resulted in early diagnosis and treatment of a kidney infection. As a result, the person avoided a hospital admission and received treatment at home instead. 

 “The data-driven insights gave us what we wanted to see from start to finish.  Despite the doctor not identifying the kidney infection. Having the data to hand, prevented that person from being admitted to hospital,” said a manager at Professional Carers.  

This case demonstrates how proactive and preventative technologies can not only improve care outcomes but also reduce pressure on acute services. it’s a prime example of how a small redirection of funds can yield tangible benefits, both in terms of user wellbeing and system efficiency.  

What we need now is a national strategy for prevention in adult social care. This strategy should aim to: 

1. Ring-fence funding for proactive and preventative services, protecting from short-term budget pressures. 

2. Promote knowledge sharing, so successful preventative blueprints can be quickly adopted. 

3. Encourage collaboration between health, social care, and community services. 

4. Support the adoption of innovative preventative technologies, like the one used in Wirral. 

 Immediate actions we can take now include: 

1. Critically examine our budgets. Are we truly prioritising prevention, or are we letting it slip in the face of immediate pressures? 

2. Whilst we need to transition to digital, why not opt for proactive and preventative technology and monitoring systems. 

3. Empower our communities. Often, the most effective prevention happens at the grassroots level. How can we better support community-led initiatives? 

4. Share our successes (and failures). We need to create a culture of open learning around prevention. 

5. Collaborate with technology providers like 2iC-Care to test and evaluate innovative proactive and preventative solutions. 

However, technology alone is not the answer. We need a fundamental shift in how we think about and prioritise prevention. The Wirral case study shows us what is possible when we embrace preventative technology. It’s not just about avoiding hospital admissions – it’s about providing better, more responsive care that enhances quality of life. As Telecare and Telehealth Manager at Wirral Council, put it, this pilot “really proved to us that these systems can detect the changes in behaviour that are indicative of a major acute episode to enable us to intervene earlier.” 

The choice before us is clear. We can continue down the current path, progressively cutting prevention until we are left with a system that can only react to crises. Or we can change course, investing in prevention to create a more proactive, effective, and more humane care system. 

The stakes are too high for us to make the wrong choice. Let us rethink prevention before it’s too late. The technology is ready, the evidence is clear, and the need is urgent. It’s time for us to lead the way in embracing prevention as the cornerstone of adult social care. Our service users deserve nothing less. 

Richard Keyse is the founder and CEO of 2iC-Care, creators of technology enabled care solution, Andi.